Horizon arrival times and Resort for a Day/Ocho Rios

[DramaQueen22]

Cruising on the Horizon September 15.  I booked Jewel Paradise Cove with Resort for a Day, but now I am rethinking that decision.  Cruise Planner says the ship docks in Ocho Rios at 8:00am, then excursions are listed as 9:00am.  Our transportation for the resort is supposed to leave 45 minutes after docking and get us back to the ship 2 hours prior to leaving.

 

How much time will we actually get at the resort?  If we cannot get off the ship until 9am, then we may not get to the resort until 10.  Not sure I want to pay for all-inclusive if we won't get much out of it.

[jbethel11]

1 hour ago, DramaQueen22 said:

Cruising on the Horizon September 15.  I booked Jewel Paradise Cove with Resort for a Day, but now I am rethinking that decision.  Cruise Planner says the ship docks in Ocho Rios at 8:00am, then excursions are listed as 9:00am.  Our transportation for the resort is supposed to leave 45 minutes after docking and get us back to the ship 2 hours prior to leaving.

 

How much time will we actually get at the resort?  If we cannot get off the ship until 9am, then we may not get to the resort until 10.  Not sure I want to pay for all-inclusive if we won't get much out of it.

Well, what time do you need to be back on the ship? That will ultimately decide if it is worth the cost. 

[amyotravel]

Also factor in the time it takes to get back and forth to the resort - how far away is it?

[DramaQueen22]

Resort for a day says it is a 30 minute trip to the resort.  Gets you back to the dock 2 hours before departure, which would be 3pm.

[amyotravel]

So best case scenario is you would be at the resort 9:30-2:30. 5 hours. If it were me, I would take the price of the excursion and think about how much you would spend on lunch and drinks during that time if you were not at the resort. But also there are amenities you would not get if you did something else, i.e., perhaps a private beach and pool (maybe with swim-up bar). If you would spend anywhere near the amount of the resort doing something else, also factor in that Ocho Rios is not a popular place with cruisers if you do not have an excursion planned. You will get hassled a lot if you go off by yourself and it may be pretty uncomfortable.